A Link to Mary
by haichuraichu
Summary: Legion and Mary, an unlikely pair, find themselves in a tumultuous turn of events. I can't not write a cheesy summary, so just give the story a try. Takes place in OoT Hyrule, generations later. Has OC's, but will have canon characters as well.
1. Chapter 1

Slowly regaining consciousness, colors before him began to form shapes, and shapes became recognizable objects. As meaning flooded into the objects, so did a vague feeling of déjà vu. Probably because this was only one of many times that he had awoken from an unconscious state in his room, to be welcomed back into reality with a dull pain somewhere in his body, and an, at this point, exasperated mother just relieved to see her son awake again. He tried to get a word out but it seemed his mind was more awaken than his body at this point. Even moving his lips was a painstaking chore.

"Don't even try to speak Legion, just be happy you got another chance after another stupid thing you had to pull," his mother said, leaning against a wall with her arms crossed. This time, he was able to get out a muffled groan. He turned over, closing his eyes. She sounded annoyed, albeit relieved, as usual. He wracked his brain trying to remember what it was, but only received blurry recalls of a red roof in his mind.

"There's water on the night table. Try to drink some. When you're feeling better, you can come in the kitchen so we can discuss how you're going to repay Mr. Valsted for the damages." He could swear he heard a tint of sadistic glee in her voice at that last statement, knowing she relished in him getting the punishment he deserved for doing whatever stupid thing he had done. She closed the door behind her, leaving him to an overwhelming silence that made a pain in his backside become horribly apparent all of a sudden.

"Great," he muttered, helping himself clumsily to the water beside him. Trying to ignore that last irritating statement from his mother, he instead tried to focus on what had actually even happened. He knew it would come to him; it was just a matter of when. He had a pretty decent amount of experience at remembering things in amnesic states. Unfortunately, part of this process was having to remember Mr. Valsted, which still had those two words, "repay Mr. Valsted", replaying like a mantra of doom over and over again in his mind. Even so, slowly but surely, the scene materialized into his mind bit by bit.

He remembered being bored and having nothing to do, and a cuccuo suddenly capturing his attention. This could be viewed as a lucky thing, considering that it was when he was bored that his more dangerous and extravagant ideas came to fruition. Playing with cuccuos was commonplace in Kakariko Village. Little kids would hold cuccuos and jump off slightly elevated places like steps or fences and enjoy being airborne for a fleeting period. Of course, Legion's version of this relatively harmless pastime was jumping off a high place, like the red roof of Mr. Valsted's house, one of the taller houses of Kakariko Village. The flaw in the plan was something Legion could not have realized by just looking, but definitely realized as he plummeted off the roof, was that this particular cuccuo had a damaged wing, and therefore, could not fly. This made what was supposed to be a mildly exhilarating drift over the small town a dangerous (yet notably much more exhilarating than the original plan) fall to the ground, destroying the old man's flower bed in the process.

Was it his flower bed? That was it? Legion furrowed his brow in confusion. What exactly was he repaying the old man for then? Was he going to have to plant some new flowers? That wasn't so bad. When his mother had said repay him for the damages, he had immediately envisioned himself toiling endlessly to repair some collapsed fence, or doing menial work to raise the money to pay for a broken window. Perhaps his mother had exaggerated the whole problem by even referring to a destroyed flower bed as "damages", just to incite some kind of guilt in him.

"Alright, enough of this, just get up already," he muttered to himself, realizing he was eager to get out of bed. He was sore all over, but he could walk well enough. The flower bed had probably cushioned his fall a bit. He plodded out the room and into the kitchen, perhaps exaggerating his aches a bit.

"Owwww," he groaned, sliding into the nearest chair at the kitchen table. His mother's back was to him as she washed the dishes. He folded his arms on table and rested his chin on them, looking up at his mother. He kicked his legs a bit so that they hit the legs of the chair, hoping that would get her attention. She finally turned around, looking a bit tired and weary of what she considered to be a constant déjà vu. It happened many times before that her son would do something reckless, whether it was on a small scale like this, or a grand scale, and he would almost always come out with just a sore in his backside, and she would have to think of some appropriate way to reprimand him. She found it comical at this point, as she was not too serious a mother, or even as a person at that. Even so, she didn't want to wake up one day to find out that her son had not merely sprained an ankle but had impaled himself on something. She had to employ some sort of disciplinary action, or at least attitude.

"How are you feeling?" she asked.

"Eh. Pain," he responded tersely.

"Right. Well, you got lucky. And you know I never like to see my son in pain…" She paused, her eyes softening a bit. It was true. She couldn't escape her fate as a hysterical mother who turned into a hypochondriac for all their children's symptoms.

"But," she continued, forcing some sternness into her voice. "But," she repeated, with more emphasis on the word, "You need to start being more careful. And I'm hoping that maybe a little punishment, so to speak, will make you finally question your actions a bit more. Or at least make you take precautions before you do things, like, you know, checking to make sure your mode of transportation isn't damaged. Or maybe that peoples valuables aren't around you. "

_This is where repaying Mr. Valsted comes into play_, Legion thought. _Dammit._

"So as you may have remembered, you completely destroyed that poor old man's flower bed."

"Yeah, or as you put it, the 'damages'. They're flowers, mom."

"All you need to see them as is somebody else's property that you destroyed because you don't like to lookout for yourself, or other people's things, when you decide to do silly things," she snapped.

"And Mr. Valsted isn't mad. You're lucky about that. But I told him you would go to him as soon as you're feeling better, and you would help him out with whatever he needed for a week, because you were terribly sorry and couldn't live with the guilt." Legion's head snapped up.

"What." The word conveyed all his irritation and shock in one succinct, deadpan delivery. Irritation at having forced quality geriatric time, and shock that it wasn't even necessary, but just a sadistic whim of his mother's. His mother said nothing. He buried his face into his hands, dreading all the time he would have to spend with the old man.

"It could be worse. I doubt he'll make you do much. But maybe it'll make you think before you do things around other people's property. Or, more importantly, things that could get yourself seriously injured. I hope so, anyway. At the very least, it's a better way to occupy your time." Legion made a muffled noise, indicating his displeasure at the situation.

"Well, you seem to be feeling better anyway. You might want to wait until you're less sore though. Who knows what you'll have to do." She couldn't help but smirk at this.

"You just love making me miserable, don't you?" Legion grumbled, the mention of his soreness making it all the more apparent in his body.

"I have such a discerning and observant son. If only you were as smart in other areas," she replied, still smirking as she returned to what she had been doing.

Legion sighed and slid off the chair, ready to resign himself to a lifetime (well, the prospect of a week felt like that anyway) of probably cleaning out mothballs and organizing medicine cabinets.


	2. Chapter 2

_Chapter 2_

Mr. Valsted wasn't the worst senior citizen in Kakariko Village to have to spend time with, Legion had to admit. He was a mild mannered old man who was generally liked by most people in the town. He was somewhat of a mystery though, as he never really spoke much. He wasn't so quiet so as to arouse suspicion or even any kind of significant curiosity from the townspeople, but if a person really thought about it, who was Mr. Valsted anyway? It was that thought exactly that made Legion a little anxious.

Legion mulled over all the possibilities of Mr. Valsted's secret persona as he walked from his house to Mr. Valsted's house. Maybe he was insane, some kind of powerful wizard who would hex Legion and make him rue the day he ever set foot on that roof. Or maybe he was powerful but benign wizard, who would teach Legion the ancient art of sorcery and magic. Maybe he used to be a skilled fighter, who would pass his training on to Legion. The thought of that excited him, but then immediately made him feel foolish for allowing his imagination to get the best of him. The reality of the situation was that Mr. Valsted was probably none of these things. He was just an old man who probably was getting close to having the short term memory of a goldfish, and would need Legion to scrub a few things and pick up his cane once in a while. At worst, he would be a bit of a jerk. Legion sighed heavily at this, as he finally reached the house. He stared at the door for a few seconds, salvaging his last precious moments of freedom. Finally, he raised his fist to the door, giving it a few lame knocks. Maybe subconsciously he was hoping Mr. Valsted wouldn't hear, and he would be able to just shrug it off and leave. Unfortunately, the doorknob began to twist, and Legion could literally feel his day escape his grasp, and being placed into the hands of Mr. Valsted.

The door creaked open, revealing the old man in all his withering glory. He was slightly hunched over, but surprisingly taller than most of his shrinking peers. He had a beak-like nose, nonexistent lips, and large, round owl-like eyes. What little hair he had left was grey and scraggly, and surrounded his prominently bald head. He peered at Legion, seemingly confused for a moment, and then his eyes widened with recognition.

"Ah yes," he said, "the cuccuo child." He chuckled at this.

"Um, yeah. Sorry about that," Legion replied, scratching his head.

"It's alright. Come in." Mr. Valsted stepped aside, letting Legion come through. The house was pretty bland. Nothing really stood out. There was a bookshelf, a couch, a kitchen, and stairs that led to a bedroom most likely. What exactly was he going to do here? He just stood there with his hands in his pockets, feeling kind of awkward.

"So," said Mr. Valsted, shutting the door behind him, "your mother offered me your services, but quite frankly, I wasn't quite sure what to have you do."

_Hmm…so, don't make me do anything? That would be nice, _Legion thought.

"But that doesn't mean you're not going to do anything," he continued.

_Of course_.

"Your mother wants you to learn a lesson, and I can't exactly deny her that. So, I did think of something. Now, I'm not going to make you do any hard labor or anything. I really only have two things for you to do. The first thing is that you will help me replant my flowers because I do take pride in my little garden, and at my age, you start appreciating the aesthetic of nature a little more."

Legion stared at him quizzically, wondering how planting some seeds was going to take him a week.

"That shouldn't take too long. I would have you do some housework, but to be honest, I keep this place pretty tidy. I suppose I could have you do some dishes every once in a while, but we'll take it as it comes. Anyway, the second thing is the most important thing. I have family coming to visit and one them is a young girl, about your age." Mr. Valsted stopped for a moment, and stared at Legion.

"You're about 13, right?" he asked.

"What? Oh. Oh yeah. I'm 13." Legion had barely even heard him at first, as he was still trying to process the information. He had family coming to visit? What did a young girl have to do with him? What did Mr. Valsted expect him to do?

"As I thought. Mary is 12, so just about your age. I want her to have someone to be her friend during her stay, as I am hardly enough entertainment for a young girl. Such a small town too, there aren't many children... and of those that there are, I am not well acquainted with them or their families enough to ask such a favor." Mr. Valsted looked at Legion expectantly.

"Um…Mr. Valsted, are you sure you want me to? I really would have no idea what to even do…" Legion said, unsure if he should feel relieved at not having to do any strenuous labor or horrified at having to now spend forced quality time with some girl he didn't know. .

"Oh it's fine, she's a lovely young girl, I assure you! Your mother has already assured me that you're a very good natured boy and will be a wonderful companion to my granddaughter."

"My mother? Oh... my mother knew about this…?" Legion quietly cursed her in his mind.

"Well of course she knew! I had to ask her for permission!" Legion sighed, trying not to show his discontent. He didn't want to tell Mr. Valsted how little he was up for spending time with some girl he didn't know, and who probably was as boring as all the other girls in the village. Admittedly, he had barely spoken to most of them, but still. He was a young boy and he just didn't feel like hanging out with a girl at all.

"She should be staying for about a week. And she's coming tonight. So we can get started on the flower bed now… and then I'll let you run off and do whatever you like until tonight!" Mr. Valsted smiled widely, showing much more enthusiasm than Legion thought the situation called for.

"Yeah, alright. That sounds fine, Mr. Valsted," Legion said, trying to sound a little chipper, even though inside he was already mentally kicking himself much more than he was before for jumping off that stupid roof.

"Splendid. Now follow me to the backyard, where we can begin the planting," Mr. Valsted said.

As Legion thought, Mr. Valsted was just a plain old man, although admittedly a little nicer than he had imagined. And that would have been totally fine, if it wasn't for this annoying request. The fact that his mother knew about it made Legion hate her all the more for making him think he was just going to do some menial tasks. She was cunning, he could give her that, but all the same, he couldn't stand the thought of her.

_Oh well,_ he thought. _She fooled me, and even if she hadn't, I would have to do this anyway._

He sighed, accepted his fate, and begrudgingly followed the old man to the backyard.


	3. Chapter 3

_Chapter 3_

The sky was beginning to get considerably darker and the air a little colder and harsher on the skin. The village was quieter and calmer than it had been just a few hours ago. During the daytime, people were always out and about, doing some kind of work, whether it was building something, delivering things, tending to cuccuos and other farm related duties, or running errands. It was just how things worked; if the sun was still high up in the sky, you better be doing something productive. In Legion's case, productive normally meant something physical, and something exciting. Today, productive meant aiding Mr. Valsted in the menial task of planting myriads of seeds deep in the soil, making sure that all the different types were in the right places. It wasn't awful though, but it wasn't enough to keep his mind off of the events that were to take place later in the day. As Mr. Valsted promised, Legion had the rest of the day off until Mr. Valsted's family was to arrive. He took this opportunity to see his best friend Orion, who was his closest friend in Kakariko Village. He was usually Legion's accomplice in all sorts of crazy things that the two would do. He was similar to Legion in his adventure seeking ways, but was notably less hot headed, and a little more cautious.

The two were sitting underneath the tree by the entrance to Kakariko Village, bored and a little run down. They had been running around earlier, practicing flips and sparring with wooden swords that Orion's father had crafted for them years earlier. At this point, Legion's pain had faded to the point where he could ignore it well enough. He was used to some kind of constant ache by now anyway. Legion had told Orion of Mr. Valsted and the flower bed, but hadn't mentioned Mary. He knew he would have to soon though, especially since she would probably be arriving soon with her family. Mr. Valsted told him to be around his house after sunset, so he would be able to find him easily when it was time to be introduced. It was because of this that he stared at the darkening sky, not doing a good job at hiding the irritation on his face.

"What's wrong Legion?" Orion asked him, noticing Legion's tense body language. It was something that Orion was well accustomed to now, as it was not a rare occurrence that Legion was annoyed about something or other. Normally, Legion would have replied with a terse "Nothing", indicating that the conversation was not to be continued. Of course, sometimes Orion would still push it if he felt like pushing his friend's buttons, but if Legion was adamant enough about not continuing the conversation, then trying to get anything out of him was futile. Instead, Legion just closed his eyes and groaned. Orion looked at him, puzzled.

"What is it? C'mon, tell me," he prodded. Legion sighed and opened his eyes.

"I have to hang out with Mr. Valsted's granddaughter," he mumbled. Orion stared at him blankly. It wasn't exactly the most explanatory response.

"Um… why? Wait, Mr. Valsted has a granddaughter?"

"I don't know! She's visiting with family, and he doesn't want her to be lonely or something. And he doesn't want to ask anyone else, for some reason. I guess because he's kind of a hermit, I really have no idea. I was unlucky enough to make myself owe him something, so now I have to hang out with her while she's here so she's not bored." Legion got more agitated with every word, now straightening up and looking at Orion directly.

"And really," he continued, "what am I even supposed to do with her? Why can't he just toss her a doll to play with or something? It's just really stupid, that's what it is. Really stupid," he declared, tossing a small rock that was in front of him furiously. It landed on the Kakariko Village sign with a loud smack and fell silently into the grass. Legion stared where it landed, breathing heavily.

"Don't you think you're overreacting a little bit?" Orion asked slowly, not wanting to press his irate friend even further.

"No," shot back Legion, not shifting his fixed gaze.

"Maybe she'll be cute," Orion teased, smiling. Legion rolled his eyes.

"As if I care about that. I don't want to hang out with some girl. I don't even know why I am, actually," he said, the thought of backing out of the whole thing dawning on him.

"I wouldn't try anything. Your mom can be pretty scary when she's mad," Orion reminded him. Legion sighed, knowing that the drama and punishment he would face if he didn't comply would last a lot longer than hanging out with this girl for a week.

"Yeah, well, I'm getting older. Soon it really won't matter what my mom says. Or anyone," Legion grumbled.

"It probably won't be that bad anyway," Orion said sensibly. "Honestly, it could be worse." Legion said nothing while he picked at the ground in front of him. Orion decided to say nothing else on the matter. If his friend wanted to be a hot head about the whole thing, he would let him. He had a tendency to make a bigger deal out of things than they were anyway. He always found out sooner or later that he had done so, and would relax. But for now, he would silently brood, as he usually did. His appearance fit the brooding persona well, too. His hair was fine and dark brown, and was usually messy and stuck upwards, creating a sort of spiky look. This, in addition to his dark eyes (which, when mad, were more piercing than any eyes Orion had ever seen) made Legion a poster child of angry adolescence. Orion was opposite from his friend in this sense as well. His dirty blonde wispy hair and light, hazel eyes indicated his softer nature, which always had little effect on Legion.

While Legion kept staring at the ground, to the point of becoming transfixed with a certain area of soil, Orion's voice interrupted him from his trance.

"Hey, I think your girlfriend arrived." Legion's head shot up, and before he could yell at his friend for his comment, he saw a family entering Kakariko Village, immediately erasing any preexisting thought in his head. First he saw a woman and a bearded man next to her, arm around her shoulder. He saw a small figure behind them, but couldn't exactly make it out. As they walked past him, he caught sight of a young girl behind them. She had wavy brown hair like her mothers, and it was long, even in the high ponytail that was in, held up by a red bow. She was wearing a plain red dress with black lace up ankle boots. Her hands were clasped together behind her back and she seemed to be just looking around, taking in the whole village. She caught sight of Legion and Orion, but at that point, Legion was already turning away.

"Hey, I think she was looking at you," Orion said, grinning widely.

"Shut up. I told you, I don't care about that," Legion replied angrily.

"Whatever. I'm going to go, my mom's making pie," Orion said, licking his lips as he stood up. He had a penchant for tasty deserts, which was evident in his slightly chubby build.

"Yeah. Enjoy," Legion said, without any indication in his voice that he wanted his friend to enjoy anything at that moment. Orion walked off, leaving Legion alone at the tree. He couldn't help but wonder why Orion had pointed out that the girl might be cute. Legion hadn't really studied her face, but he supposed she might be what a person would consider cute. Legion had never really thought about it before though. Most females had nice faces. He had never really thought about it past that. Some had bad faces, but they were usually old and strangely contorted. He had never really discerned any difference between nice faces, or ranked them in anyway. Why would Orion even care though? They were both around the same age. Why would that thought enter Orion's head, and not his? Legion didn't know why he was letting the thought frustrate him so much. Maybe it was because he considered all that crushing and flirting business to be a complete waste of time. Then again, he had never even understood why you would like someone like that in the first place, so it wasn't even an area he had full understanding of. It was just a weird concept, and thinking about it was like hitting road blocks in Legion's mind. He just couldn't get anywhere with it. All he could be sure of was that Mary was a girl, girls were boring, and he wanted to have fun. That was the only equation that made sense to him.

"Legion!" yelled a voice, jolting Legion out of his thoughts. He jumped up, immediately recognizing the voice to be that of Mr. Valsted's. He saw him outside of his house, gesturing for Legion to come to him. Legion's previous dilemma had faded, and he was back to feeling simply annoyed and weary at the thought of having to hang out with this girl.

"Coming Mr. Valsted," he called out, not making any attempt to hurry to get to the old man.

"Mary is just so excited to meet you, come on in," Mr. Valsted said cheerfully once Legion came near him.

_Super,_ thought Legion, with mock enthusiasm.

Legion entered the house and now saw the family up close. They were sitting on the couch, looking expectantly at Legion.

"Legion, this is Elena," Mr. Valsted said, as the mother extended her hand for a handshake. Legion shook it, feeling a little awkward about all the formalities.

"Hi," he mumbled.

"Hello Legion," she gushed. "It's very nice to meet you." Legion half smiled and nodded.

"I'm John Valsted," said the father. He was large, with a thick black beard, and black curly hair on his head. He gave Legion a hearty handshake that nearly made him wince in pain. Unlike Elena, who was seemed to be an eternally smiling woman, John seemed unable to even turn up the corners of his mouth. He also seemed to be eyeing Legion suspiciously, which Legion couldn't understand for the life of him why he would do so. Mary sat next to her father, staring at Legion curiously. Like her mother, her nose and lips were small and roundish in shape. Her eyes were from her father, large and dark brown. However, unlike her father's eyes, which were intimidating and unsmiling, hers had a mix of bemusement and fascination, as if everything around her, even Mr. Valsted's utterly boring stale house, was an object of wonder and mystery.

"This is my daughter Mary," John said quickly, as if not wanting anyone else to introduce her. Legion had a feeling that he didn't want Legion touching his daughter, which was also a puzzling thought, so Legion just gave a small wave.

"Hi," he said, feeling pretty monosyllabic at that point.

"Hi," Mary said shyly.

"We really appreciate you accepting to be a friend to our daughter during our stay here," Elena said warmly. "I know a young boy your age must want to just hang out with other young boys, but it was so kind of you to accept!" Legion decided that it wasn't worth pointing out that he didn't have a choice. Perhaps it was not the most tactful thing to say.

"Mr. Valsted says there aren't girls here around her age, it being such a small village and all," John said gruffly. It was sort of an awkward statement that didn't really call for any kind of obvious response.

"Um… yeah. Most of the girls are much older…maybe there's one that's like, 3 or something," Legion said.

"Well that's very different from the big city we live in, isn't it dear," Elena said, looking at her daughter. Mary nodded. No one said anything for a bit, but thankfully, before the silence could become too unbearable, Mr. Valsted spoke up.

"Well then. Why don't you and Mary run along now and make friends, and be back in about an hour or so for dinner. Legion, you are of course invited to eat here as well," said Mr. Valsted, clasping his hands together. Again, he was showing much more enthusiasm than Legion thought the situation called for.

"Stay in Kakariko Village," said John, staring at Legion. "I know there's a path that leads up to the summit of Death Mountain. Needless to say, don't."

"There's a guard that guard's it," Legion told him, feeling all at once a little shaken and a little annoyed at how abrasive her father was. He didn't like feeling that way.

_As if I'm really planning on taking your daughter sightseeing around Hyrule, give me a break, _Legion thought.

Mary got up and walked towards Legion slowly, expecting him to lead the way out.

"Legion's a good boy, don't worry John," Mr. Valsted said. Legion appreciated it, even though he wasn't really sure why Mr. Valsted thought so.

"Oh, and Legion," John continued, not taking heed of Mr. Valsted's compliments. "When you're with my daughter, cuccuos are for petting only." Legion felt his face flush, feeling embarrassed at John calling him out on his blunder. Mary giggled, covering her mouth shyly as she did. At this point, not only was Legion embarrassed, but he was seething. The last thing he needed was having some girl laugh at him on top of feeling embarrassed. He nodded in agreement.

"Um, I'll just show Mary around town. It's small, and um…I'm sure we'll find something she'll enjoy," Legion said lamely.

"Okay dear, enjoy yourselves," Elena said, grinning from ear to ear. Usually Legion hated such overly cheery people, but in this moment, he was grateful for Elena's sharp contrast to her husband's personality.

"Thanks," Legion said.

"Thanks mom. Bye," Mary said, waving to her family. Legion stepped outside with Mary following him, forgetting for a moment to be annoyed by her presence, and just feeling thankful that at least that whole introductory ordeal was over and done with.

For a second, Legion felt like he was alone, and had the urge to just run far from the house and go find some field to do flips in and run around. But when Mary stepped into his view, he felt the weight of this burden fall back on his chest. She said nothing, but just looked at him, obviously waiting for him to say something.

"Uhhh…what do you want to do?" he asked, scratching his head.

"I dunno. What's there to do here?" she asked, looking around. Legion shrugged.

"Well, let's just get away from the house first. I don't want to be near my family. My dad can be so annoying," she said, rolling her eyes. Legion couldn't help but agree with her on this.

"Okay. Let's just…walk I guess," he suggested.

"Yeah, okay." The two began walking, and suddenly Legion felt really strange, like he had to say something. He never felt like that with a boy. Usually they would just fight and wrestle and go exploring or something. He had absolutely no idea what he was supposed to do, which was really bothersome. He hated not feeling in control of a situation.

"So, what's Death Mountain?" she asked.

"Uh, it's just… that mountain over there," Legion said, pointing to the mountain. It was quite the view as it loomed over the town.

"Cool," Mary said, staring at it with wide eyes. "I live in a big city. We don't have anything neat like that to look at."

"Yeah, I actually think it's pretty cool to look at too," Legion admitted. Mary bit her lip, as if wanting to say something, while still staring at the mountain. Legion stared at her face for a moment, thinking to himself.

_I guess she's cute. Yeah, I would say she's pretty cute. _He still felt weird about it though, like he was trying to force it. _Not that it matters, _he added to himself.

"I wish I could see it," she said finally.

"Really?" Legion asked, a little surprised, snapping out of his thoughts.

"Well, yeah. It's interesting. Why wouldn't I?" she replied. Legion shrugged, realizing that his only answer, which was that she was a girl and he hadn't assumed she would be interested in anything he was, wasn't exactly something he was about to say.

"Do you know what's up there?"

"Gorons live up there. And there are some caves and long paths. And at the top, there's an entrance which leads to the Fire Temple. No one goes there though, it's really old. It has a lot of history though," Legion explained.

"Ohhh, like what?" Mary asked.

"Um, well, it's a place of worship and all, and it's also where Link, the legendary hero, saved Hyrule from Ganondorf. Well, a part of it anyway. It's pretty well known." Mary nodded.

"Oh yeah, I know about that. My parents are originally from Hyrule," she told him. "But we moved away to a big city because of a job my father got. Then my grandpa moved to Kakariko Village. My parents sometimes worry about him being alone though, which is why we came to visit. We haven't come in a while though…I was really young last time I came." Legion said nothing to this. He was starting to feel a little bad for hating the idea of spending time with her so much, as she seemed nice enough. Still though, he was a little irritated at having to be forced to be responsible for this girl having a good time. Even if she wasn't overtly annoying, he still had no idea what he was supposed to do with her.

"So, you can fly with a cuccuo, huh," she said suddenly, turning to him with a big smile.

"You can't fly, but you can soar in the air," he said, groaning inwardly at the topic.

"Or fall into a flower bed," she added, snickering.

"It was an accident," he snapped.

"Whatever," she said, still smiling. Legion rolled his eyes and felt his original anger return.

"Well figure out something you want to do," he said, crossing his arms, not trying to be nice anymore. "Because I really have no idea."

_There_, he thought smugly. _Now the burden's on her._

Oblivious to his change in tone, she tapped her chin thoughtfully, looking up.

"Hmmm," she wondered. "Why don't we go to Death Mountain?" she said suddenly, with great enthusiasm. "Ohhhh, it'll be fun! It'll be fun!" she cried, clasping her hands together, reminding Legion a little bit too much of Mr. Valsted.

"Uh, your father said we couldn't," he reminded her, immediately feeling like a square for even using that as an excuse. Apparently, Mary felt the same way about him in that moment. She gaped at him.

"Are you serious?" she said. "I thought you would be fun. I guess not." She made an exaggerated sigh and crossed her arms. "Maybe you've just never been up there and don't know how to sneak past the guard." At this point, Legion was taken aback by her bluntness and forwardness. Not even a minute ago she had been pretty normal, and all of a sudden she was taunting him? Who did she think she was?

"I have," he snapped angrily. "But you would never be able to do it."

"Why's that?"

"You're a girl," he stated as if it were the most obvious thing in the world. Her mouth dropped.

"So?"

"So, you just wouldn't be able to. You have to climb stuff and jump over stuff to get there."

"Hmph. I could do it," she said indignantly.

"Have you ever even done anything like that?" he asked.

"No," she admitted, looking down. "But that's not because I'm a girl. I just… I haven't. But I want to try. You don't have to be so mean…" Her voice tapered off, and she looked as if she were about to cry.

"…Fine," he relented. "We'll try." Mary's disposition instantaneously changed from gloomy to excited and hyper.

"Okay!" she squealed. "Let's do it!" Legion didn't know what to make of her at the moment. She was just…bizarre. Her overly enthusiastic and sensitive personality could start to get on his nerves. But at the same time, he was somewhat relieved. At least she wanted to do something fun, which was more than he expected.

"Okay, well we'll have to go to the graveyard," he warned.

"Oh, that's scary," she said excitedly.

"Not really. It's just a graveyard."

"I think it's scary. But sometimes I like to get scared. It's fun!" Legion nodded, surprisingly finding himself agreeing with her on this as well.

"Yeah, I know what you mean," he told her. "I like to do crazy things sometimes, even if they scare me, because it's fun." He immediately blushed a little at saying this, only because it felt kind of like a confession. He had never actually told anyone that some things scared him. When he first tried to flip off of things or climb to high places, he was really scared. He channeled it into an adrenaline rush and motivation, because that was his personality, and how he got himself to do things. And even though he knew this about himself, he didn't want to actually tell anyone he got scared, just in case they got the wrong impression. He wasn't sure why he just told her that, it just sort of rolled off his tongue.

"Like jumping off of roofs with cuccuos?"

"That's not that crazy."

"I think it is. I guess you'll just have to teach me how to be crazy," she said, grinning.

"Uh…yeah. Well, we'll see about that. Anyway, let's go," Legion said, starting to lead the way. Mary followed behind him excitedly, still looking around her, asking questions along the way.

"What's that?"

"Potion shop."

"What about that?"

"…A well."

"Oooh. Cool."

"It's not that cool."

"Well I've never seen one."

They finally reached the graveyard, which was secluded from rest of the town. It was always silent and Legion found it peaceful above all else, even if the idea of it was morbid to other people.

"It's kinda pretty," Mary noted, looking around. "I like the little flowers around the tombstones."

"See? It's not scary," Legion said.

"I guess. Still, there are dead people beneath us," Mary said with a shudder, looking down warily at the ground beneath her.

"So? It's just how things are. It happens," Legion said. Mary chewed the inside of her mouth while staring thoughtfully at the ground.

"I guess," she said after a while. Legion walked up to a wall on the western side of the graveyard. It was cobblestoned, but a few of the cobblestones had been wedged out so that you could stick your foot or hands in them, making it easy to climb up the wall. Legion and Orion had done it years ago so they could easily climb up whenever they wanted.

"Okay, this is where we're going to climb up," he told her. "Obviously just put your hands in these holes and you should be fine. You go first, just in case you fall or something. I'll uh…you know, I'll catch you."

"Okay!" Mary chirped, enthusiastically. She marched up to the wall and without a second thought, immediately began to climb it. It wasn't until she got around the middle that she froze.

"What's wrong?" said Legion, who up until this point thought she was doing surprisingly well. Mary looked down, furrowing her eyebrows.

"I'm scared," she said softly, as if afraid to admit it.

"Don't be, I'm here if you fall. Just…don't loosen your grip or anything. And try not to think about it, you'll freak yourself out. It's really not a big deal," he assured her.

_Come on,_ he thought. _You actually weren't so bad up until now._

Mary tentatively raised her hand to reach the next one, and then slowly but surely, eased her way to the top. She struggled to lift her own weight when she reach the top, but managed to lift herself up on top of it. She stood up shakily and brushed herself off a bit, examining her surroundings.

"It's pretty up here! Ooh, I can kinda see the town!" she exclaimed, peering around her. The top was just plain fields of grass that tapered off in the distance, where she could only see a stony wall. Legion climbed up the wall with ease, reaching her in a matter of seconds.

"See, that wasn't so bad," he said to her. "I've been doing it forever though, so it's easy for me."

"Oh you're so cool," she teased. Legion ignored this and began walking in front of her.

"Follow me," he said. As they walked, they circled the town from a distance, reaching the other side of it.

"I thought you said we had to jump over stuff," she said, sounding almost relieved.

"Well, there's just one jump. It's not so bad…I hope you'll be able to manage." He said this with genuine concern though, realizing that it was very well possible that she could get hurt.

"I'll try," she responded, trying not to show that she was a little nervous.

"Alright, so we're going to walk close to the edge," he said, gesturing at in front of him, "and near the corner is where the guard is. See, you can see the gate a bit from here. So we're not going to go there. Instead, we're going to go farther up until we get far enough away where he won't see. Then we just jump off, and we're on the mountain path. There's a specific spot to jump though, because there's a big enough rock to jump onto, so it's not so high." Legion paused for a moment, not liking the way that sounded. "I mean, I could jump off from up here. But since I'm with you, I don't want you to get hurt."

Mary scrunched up her face, annoyed.

"You know, you're really full of yourself. You're not THAT great," she blurted out, staring at him dead on. Legion stared back, unsure of how to react. The second she said it, he flared up with rage. If Orion had ever said that to him, he would be down on the ground in two seconds flat, clutching a broken nose. But the anger was somewhat replaced with shock, and then confusion. Even if she thought that, he was surprised that she even said that to him. After all, he was pretty much a stranger.

"Uh…what?" was all he could get out.

"Well, you're not. If you were, you wouldn't have to keep pointing it out. And also, you think that just because I'm a girl, I can't do stuff. Well, that's not true." She paused, taking a deep breath. "I mean, so maybe I can be a baby. But I want to try. And anything I have trouble with is because I'm me, not because I'm a girl. Plus, I don't live where you do. There isn't anything to climb and jump off of. Except for buildings maybe, but people would see me if I did, and they would stop me, so I've really never even had the chance to try, but I'm sure I could be great if I did, and…and…you just don't have to be so mean!" She concluded furiously. Her face was red, and her eyes were glistening.

"Okay, okay…um…I'm sorry. Just… don't cry," Legion pleaded, feeling a little guilty.

"I'm not going to cry!" she yelled angrily.

"Shhh, someone's going to hear you," he hissed angrily, paranoia immediately replacing his guilt. At this, she let out a little squeal of frustration, and began to run towards the edge of the cliff, near the upper part of the path. For a moment, Legion just stood there dumbstruck. Then he realized what she intended to do. He began running up to her, gaining speed much quicker than her. But it was too late. She ran before him too early for him to catch up to her, and she had reached the edge of the cliff before him. She turned around and saw that he was now close to her. She closed her eyes, and jumped, her arms flailing wildly in the air. At this point, Legion was so freaked out he couldn't even think straight, which was fortunate because otherwise, he would have had a heart attack at the thought of bringing her dead body home to the Valsteds, which was, of course, the worst case (yet highly unlikely) scenario. When he reached the edge, he silently prayed in his mind before peering over, his heart pounding in his ears.

"Oh thank god," he exhaled, seeing Mary was alive and standing. Her face was pale white, and her eyes wide and almost maniacal.

"That was awesome!" she whispered loudly, her eyes darting from side to side making sure no one was there.

Legion put a finger to his lips, indicating that she should be silent. He didn't want to risk anything at this point. He jumped down and landed next to her with a thud. The fall always hurt his legs a bit at first, but he was used to it. She kept her lips pursed and she was bouncing around excitedly, as if she hadn't been close to crying minutes beforehand. Legion decided not to mention the incident. He hadn't quite mulled it over in his mind yet anyway, which he was bound to do. He gestured for her to follow him, and they walked upwards on the mountain path. Mary's lips parted as she gazed around her in awe.

"Pretty," she whispered to herself.

"Alright, we can talk now," Legion said, once they got far enough away.

"That jump was really fun!" she exclaimed. "And see? I did it, and I'm fine," she added, smiling self-righteously.

"Yeah…I didn't expect that," Legion admitted. "Good job."

"Thanks," she said, beaming. "It hurt my legs though," she said, wincing a little at the memory.

"Yeah, it hurts mine too. Except _I_ don't whine about it," Legion teased.

"Hey, no fair! That was my first time!" she cried, pouting.

"I know, I'm teasing. You'll get used to it." He realized this implied that they would be doing this more often, which made him have to wonder if that's what he really wanted. He didn't actually think he would have to question that. Normally, he would assume that the answer would be a vehement no. His uncertainty was a little disconcerting to him.

"So, what do you usually do when you're here?" Mary asked.

"Usually when I come here with my friend Orion, we just walk and talk. We like to spar and do flips too. Jumping off of things…stuff like that." He decided not to add that he assumed she wouldn't want to do that, even though he knew that would be the case.

"That sounds like fun," she said, "but I don't know how to do either of those things. You don't mind, do you?" Legion shook his head.

"Honestly I didn't expect you to. I mean, I just… I don't know many girls who know how to fight or anything like that. I guess they could learn but…none that I've known ever showed interest. And most people can't do flips and things like that. It's just something I'm naturally good at." Mary nodded, and to Legion's relief, did not fight him on it.

"I don't think I'll ever be able to do flips or anything crazy like that," she admitted. "I can't even do a cartwheel," she added, sheepishly, averting her gaze shyly. Legion smiled at this in spite of himself, not really sure why he had done that.

"Well maybe I can teach you," he offered. "To do a cartwheel," he quickly added. "Not flips."

"Really? Thanks!" She seemed so genuinely excited at the prospect of this that Legion quickly realized that there was no way he could go back on that offer now. Not that he had planned to, but he hadn't actually thought it through before he made the offer. He hadn't even decided how he actually felt about her yet. At the same time, he would have to hang out with her regardless of whether he hated her, so he decided it wasn't even an issue worth thinking about. As he decided this, he noticed Mary staring at him expectantly.

"Oh yeah, sorry. Uh, I guess we can just walk or something," he suggested.

"What are you talking about? I thought you were going to teach me to do a cartwheel!" she said, looking at him pleadingly.

"Now? No, if you fall you're going to get hurt. Let's wait to do it somewhere soft, like grass."

"Nooo, you'll catch me. Come on. Now!" She stamped her foot on the ground childishly.

"No," said Legion firmly. "If you get hurt, your dad is going to hurt _me_." Mary curled her lip and turned away, arms crossed.

"Stop being a baby," Legion said sternly. Mary stayed where she was and said nothing.

"You know…you weren't bad for a girl up until now. But now you're just being a baby. I knew girls were babies." Legion sighed loud enough for her to hear. As he expected, she turned around with wide, apologetic eyes.

"Sorry," she muttered. "I know. I can be a baby…I just really want to learn. Plus, my dad get's in the way of everything. He's a real pain in the butt. Just the mention of him getting in the way of something I want to do annoys me." She gave him a half smile, hoping he wouldn't stay mad.

"Well, we will do it, I promise. Now…let's just walk around for a bit, maybe you'll find something that interests you. Then I'll take you home. Okay?" Mary's face fell at the notion of going home, but she said nothing about that. She merely nodded in agreement, and then her face brightened again as she spun around.

"Okay, let's go!" She began to march forward, while Legion followed behind her, again smiling and not too sure why.


	4. Chapter 4

Fifteen minutes later, they had reached the entrance to Goron City. It was around here that the path somewhat ended, and a large hill sloped upwards, leading towards the final path to the summit. In this time, Mary had excitedly investigated openings in walls (usually finding only dropped rupees and peculiar golden spiders) and curiously poking at large boulders that towered over her. It was a little exhausting, but Legion enjoyed walking and it was rather amusing how easily fascinated Mary became by things he was so used to.

"Let's stop here. We have to be back shortly anyway," Legion said.

"Oh yeah. Dinner. Are you going to eat with us?" asked Mary, hopefully.

_Oh yeah. Forgot about that,_ he thought.

"Ummm…I don't know. My mother might want me to eat at home…" Legion responded, trying to avoid looking at her pleading eyes. Part of him wanted to be alone with his thoughts, but the main reason he was apprehensive about eating dinner there was having to deal with her father. Before he could figure a way around it, Mary had jumped to another topic of interest.

"Oh, your mother! What's she like?" asked Mary. Legion raised an eyebrow, confused by this seemingly unfounded curiosity.

"My mother? She's…fine, I guess. Why?"

"I'm just curious. Does she look like you? Is she funny? Does she cook well? What about your dad?" Legion closed his eyes and shot his hands up, indicating for her to stop her barrage of questions immediately. She stopped, and then smiled apologetically, blushing furiously.

"Sorry about that," she said.

"Yeah…uh, that was a little weird," Legion said, still trying to process her questions. "Um…I guess she can be funny. She's my mom though, so usually she just annoys me. She cooks well. And…I just live with her though…not my dad." Mary stared at him, chewing the inside of her mouth nervously, unsure of what to say without being too intrusive.

"Why not…if you don't mind telling me?" she finally asked.

"He died when I was little," Legion replied. Mary's eyes saddened noticeably, and her lower lip quivered slightly. She looked down, fidgeting a bit with her hands.

"Hey," said Legion, suddenly concerned. He took a slight step closer to her. "Hey…what's wrong with you?" he asked. Mary shook her head.

"Nothing…that just makes me really sad…I'm sorry," she said, barely audible.

"Why? He wasn't your dad," Legion said, genuinely confused by her overwhelming amount of empathy.

"I know…but…I guess I just feel really sad for you. I'm sorry. Does that bother you? I'll try to stop, I don't want to…to…upset you or anything," she stammered, still looking down at her hands.

"What? No, I'm not upset. See? Look at me," Legion said, chuckling so that she would hear him. Mary looked up timidly to see him smiling widely. Her body visibly relaxed, and she forced a small smile.

"Why aren't you upset?" she asked. Legion shrugged, still smiling.

"I'm just not. You shouldn't be either. Not for me, anyway. Like I said...it happens." Mary looked into his eyes, as if trying to find something he wasn't saying in there.

"That doesn't mean it's not sad," she replied. "I guess I feel bad too easily…I guess I am a baby…no wonder you didn't want to hang out with a girl…" She sighed, looking disappointed in herself. Legion shook his head.

"No…um…I think it's sweet," he said. It was the truth. "I know it sucks that it happened. It's not stupid for you to be sad about it, and it's not babyish," he assured her.

"Don't you get sad about it?" she asked. Legion cocked his head to the side, thinking for a moment.

"Yeah," he said finally. "I do. But I'm not sad right now. Okay? I've learned to deal with it…and I don't want to see you beat yourself up over it." Mary nodded, smiling a little more easily now.

"Okay," she said. "I'll try."

"Good," said Legion, almost proudly. Something about Mary's face did not fully convince him that she was completely alright though. He thought he knew what it was.

"Do you want to know what happened?" he asked. Mary's face reddened, as if ashamed at her own curiosity regarding such a topic.

"No…" she mumbled, her gaze returning to her feet. Legion smirked at how easily readable her actions were becoming to him.

"Look, if I tell you I'm fine, I'm fine. You can ask me stuff. Trust me I'm not subtle about how I feel. You'll know if I don't want to talk about something," Legion assured her.

"Okay," she replied quietly.

"He got really sick when I was around seven. And he died when I was nine. I don't really know what he was sick with…sometimes he was okay though, and sometimes he couldn't get out of bed at all. When he was in bed, my mother would try to keep me from seeing him at his worst. I would only hear him coughing…sometimes vomiting." Legion paused, feeling a small surge of familiar anger rise in him.

"It still bothers me," he said.

"What does?" asked Mary.

"That she did that. I know I was young…but I don't like being treated that way. I don't like being sheltered or hidden from things. I can take it." His lips were pursed tightly at the memory.

"She was just trying to help…" Mary began, but Legion cut her off angrily.

"I don't care. I don't care what she was _trying_ to do. The damage is still done, that's what matters. She didn't want me to remember my father as weak, I know that. But I don't like being lied to, or being protected. I don't like being…manipulated like that…someone else controlling what I know of my own father." He was livid now, and couldn't even face Mary. She said nothing, and was a little jarred at how angrily he had cut her off. She wasn't angry, but she felt uncomfortable. She felt guilty for even pressing the matter, and for not changing the subject. Now she had gotten him angry and she all at once felt scared, guilty, and awkward. She watched Legion as he stared off into the distance, his breathing slowly returning to normal, and his hardened eyes gradually softening.

"Sorry," he muttered after a bit. "Don't feel bad. I'm fine." He did feel calmer. Mary still said nothing, afraid that she wouldn't know the right thing to say.

"Trust me. I'm fine," he repeated. "Honestly, I get like this all the time." Mary bit her lip nervously, still unsure of what to say. He started to feel a little agitated by her refusal to believe him, but he tried hard to suppress it, for her sake.

"Look. If you try to cheer up a little…I'll…um…I'll eat over. Okay?" Mary's gasped.

"Really?" she cried, clapping her hands together. Her excitement took over her emotions in that moment.

"Yeah," Legion said, glad to see she wasn't close to tears anymore. The annoying thought of her father gnawed at him, but he tried to ignore it.

"But we have to start heading back now, okay?" Mary nodded.

"Now," she repeated. She looked as if she was about to start skipping in front of him, but her body suddenly froze, and she looked at him, her face scrunched up as if thinking hard. Suddenly, she lunged at him, hugging him tightly. Legion stumbled back a bit, the shock of it momentarily stunning him and rendering him unable to even move.

"Sorry," she said quickly, and let go abruptly. She nervously hurried in front of him, starting to head down the path. He finally remembered to move, and jogged after her to keep up. His face felt hot for some reason, and he could still feel where she had hugged him. He couldn't decide whether she was apologizing for the hug, or for the conversation. Whatever it was, it was still too strange to even make sense of.

_Whatever, it doesn't matter. She's nice, but don't forget, she's kind of weird. And she's a girl,_ he reminded himself. _Not everything she does is supposed to make sense._

It took less time for them to reach the end of the path since they walked at a more hurried pace, and did not stop for whatever caught Mary's interest this time. They climbed back up to the elevated, grassy area via broken pieces of boulders, and practically ran back to the graveyard. Legion climbed down first, still not convinced that Mary might not miss a step and fall down, especially with her hurrying now, trying not to be too late to get back home. Once they were in the graveyard though, they both relaxed, since they were back in the village, and therefore not breaking any rules in that current moment.

"I hope my dad isn't looking for me," Mary said nervously. It was the first word either of them had spoken since they started heading back for town.

"Yeah. That… would be really awful," Legion said, trying not to imagine her father angry. Once they exited the graveyard, Legion immediately felt weird. Something about the town was instantaneously unsettling to him.

"Stop," he said quietly to Mary, who did so, casting him a confused glance. He looked around the small village slowly. Everyone was standing outside, muttering quietly to themselves. In Kakariko Village, people were not out this late, much less the whole village. There was somewhat of a commotion occurring farther up, near the entrance. However, it was too far away for Legion to make anything of it. He turned to Mary, who was looking at Legion nervously.

"What's wrong?" she mouthed.

"I don't know. Just stay close behind me, okay?" he whispered. Mary nodded. They slowly weaved through the crowd of people until Mr. Valsted's house came into view. It was then that Legion and Mary both froze simultaneously. There, they saw a group of Hyrulean soldiers in front of the house, surrounding Mary's parents. Her mother looked mortified, while her father's face depicted a rage she had never seen on him before. Her grandfather stood at the door, trembling and waving his cane, yelling at the soldiers.

"This is a travesty! An outrage! These people mean no harm! If you only knew who this woman was!" he was crying, pointing his cane towards Elena.

"Quiet," said one of the soldiers, stepping forward. He was larger than the rest, and practically towered over Mr. Valsted. His head was obscured by his helmet, but Legion could not help but notice a pair of steel grey eyes behind the metal.

"I've had enough of your tales. Speak again, and you will sorely regret it." There was a quality to his voice that was indelible. It was deep and resonant, even though he had not raised his voice once. Something about the way he said what he said made Legion shiver at the thought of what exactly his threat could mean. Mr. Valsted bit his tongue and said nothing, sharing this same thought.

"Mom! Dad!" cried Mary hysterically. She began to run towards them but Legion grabbed her almost violently by the arm, not believing her stupidity.

The soldiers instinctively grabbed her parents to keep them from running towards their daughter. Her mother was now sobbing, begging them not to touch her.

"Let me go, you savages!" he roared, struggling to escape the soldier's grasp. His efforts were ended as the soldier gave him a sharp blow to the back, reducing him to his knees. He gasped, wincing in pain and his head hanging in shame.

Predicting her next move, Legion wrapped his arms around Mary from behind, holding her tight so that she couldn't run towards her parents.

"Let go! Let go!" she screamed. "My parents! What are you doing to my parents!" A few soldiers began to advance towards her, but the large one held his hand up, stopping their movement.

"So, Mary finally appears," he said, sounding amused. Mary finally stopped struggling, and Legion loosened his grip slightly. He didn't dare to let go though. He wasn't going to risk her running headfirst into these soldiers.

"You know, your parents didn't know where you were. We thought they were lying. Perhaps hiding you." His eyes landed on Legion.

"I would advise you to let the girl go…once we decide to get her, there will be little you can do." Legion did not loosen his grip though. If there was ever a time where he would cease to be as stubborn as he was, now was definitely not it.

"Legion, please, just listen to them!" His head turned and he saw his mother, who looked horrified. She had been in her house just minutes before, lost in a nap and unaware of the ordeal. Orion's mother had frantically knocked on her door upon Mary and Legion's arrival, waking her up and informing her of her son's current involvement in the whole situation.

He ignored her and turned back towards Mary's parents. He felt Mary shaking in his arms, and looked down to see that she was crying.

"Why are you doing this?" she moaned, tears rolling down her face. She looked at her parents.

"I'm sorry, I-I-I went to..to the mountain path, a-and…and…I'm sorry, I didn't mean to." She dissolved into a fit of sobbing, unsure of why this was happening and feeling all of a sudden tremendously guilty for disobeying her father.

"You should have just stayed there," her father muttered, just loud enough for them to hear. He looked at his daughter sadly, who was sniffling, confused and scared.

"Enough of this. This has become too much of a theatrical production for my tastes." The soldier nodded towards the others, and they began to charge towards Mary and Legion. Immediately, adrenaline soared in his body, as he let go of Mary, snatched her hand, and began to run as fast as he could back towards the graveyard. He could not hear anything but his own heart pounding in his ears. He did not hear his mother screaming for him to for once in his life comply with someone. He did not hear the townspeople gasping and shrieking as a throng of Hyrulean soldiers ran past them in pursuit of two small children. He did not hear Mary's mother sobbing and her father screaming for them to run, run as fast as they could. He did not even hear Mary's shrieks. All he knew was that her hand was tight in his, and it stayed that way as he ran. Had he not known where he was going, the soldiers would have caught up to them without a doubt. Thankfully, he had precious moments in the graveyard before he was in their sight again. It was in these few seconds that he kicked over a crate that stood against the grave keepers shack, grabbed Mary around the waist with one arm, and jumped down the small hole that was underneath the crate. He landed on his side on cold, hardened soil, with Mary still in his arms. Pain shot through him, but it was Mary who he immediately focused on. Her fall was mostly cushioned by his body, but the impact had still traumatized her a bit. She was breathing rapidly and the only expression in her tear stricken face was her eyes, wide and worried. Legion heard the soldiers above the ground, and strained to hear what was happening.

"Where the hell did they go!" he heard one yell.

_Please don't see the hole, please don't see the hole_ was all he could think. Thankfully, from the angle of someone who had just entered the graveyard, the crate would obstruct their view of the hole. He could only pray that they did not feel the need to explore all sides of the graveyard, considering one could take in the whole area from any spot they were standing in.

"Here! Look! Holes in the cobblestones! They must have climbed up here!" another one yelled. He heard them yell in agreement, followed by the sound of them fumbling to get up the wall. He sighed with relief and felt his heart begin to come close to some semblance of a normal heartbeat. He looked at Mary, who also seemed to be paying attention to the voices of the soldiers. She was hugging her knees, still looking upwards.

"Are…are you okay?" Legion asked softly. Mary slowly turned her head towards him. Her eyes softened once she laid eyes on him. She felt a little comforted at the reminder of his presence. She nodded.

"Where are we?" she asked, taking in their surroundings for the first time since they fell through the hole. Not that there was much to see. The only light down there came from the moonlight seeping through the hole, making only a small portion of the ground they were sitting visible, and a bit of the dirt walls as well.

"It's just this hole that me and Orion found a few years ago. We used to come down here with candles and explore. I have no idea who built it or anything. We never actually found anything interesting though, so we kind of just…stopped coming down here." Legion trailed off, realizing he was probably talking a little too much for Mary in her current condition. She seemed to being paying attention though.

"I guess it's lucky you remembered it," she murmured. She wrapped her arms around her knees tighter, resting her chin between them. They were both silent for a few minutes, letting the shock of the prior events fade a little.

"I don't understand why that happened," Mary said, her quiet voice breaking the silence. She looked at Legion, who had nothing to say to her.

"I thought…I thought Hyrulean soldiers wanted to protect Hyrule. Why were they like that? So cruel?" Legion shook his head.

"I don't know," he responded.

"They must have thought we mean some kind of harm. But why? And what did they want with _me_?" She wiped a tear from her eye, frustrated at her lack of understanding of the situation. Just then, a thought occurred to Legion.

"Hey, Mary? Remember…remember when your grandfather said something about your mom? Something like…if only they knew who she was?" Mary thought for a moment.

"Sort of," she replied. "I don't know what he meant though." She tightened her fists and closed her eyes tightly, as tears began pouring out of them.

"I hate this!" she exclaimed. "I…I feel like I don't know anything about my family! There has to be something they did to cause this!" She tried hard to fight back her tears, but only ended up crying even more. "A-And…I'm crying like a baby…I feel so stupid," she sniffled, wiping her face with her arm. "I know, you don't want me to cry," she added. "You probably wouldn't cry if you were me."

"You have good reason to be as upset as you are," he said. "And…it doesn't matter what I would do. I probably wouldn't cry, you're right. Why should that matter?" Mary sniffed, wiping tears from her eyes still.

"I guess." She gave him a half smile through her tears. "You don't mind being stuck with me, do you?" She caught Legion off guard with this question completely. His mind raced as he thought of what he could possibly say when he didn't even know how he felt. Then again…the only reason he didn't know was because that original adamancy against hanging out with a girl had faded, once he got to know her personally. Even though it had faded, as most of his overreactions did, he hadn't actually thought about how he actually felt. He was the type of person who needed to verbalize his feelings internally, otherwise he just operated on instinct. Now that he was faced with the question and forced to think about it, he felt his mind hitting the same roadblocks as earlier that day, just after Orion had left him at the tree.

"No…" he said slowly. Mary was still looking at him, clearly unconvinced.

"No," he repeated, with more certainty in his voice. "I'm not. You're…really not as bad as I thought you would be," he confessed. Mary laughed.

"Let me guess. You didn't want to hang out with a girl?" Legion curled his lip, annoyed at her perceptiveness.

"Yeah," he grumbled. "But you can't blame me," he added quickly. "Every girl I've known has basically sucked."

"Oh yeah? Like who?" Mary challenged. "You said there weren't even girls your age here."

"There are still girls! And I never see them doing anything fun. They just sit around and whine if I'm dirty and I get too close to them. And I've met girls my age before, in castle town, and they're always just…standing around, giggling and looking at pointless stuff like jewelry. Hey, why are you looking at me like that?" He noticed Mary was smiling condescendingly, shaking her head.

"You're just a dummy," she said. "So, you've seen a few girls and now you think you know all girls? I doubt you've even talked to any girls except your mom maybe," she teased. "And now me," she added, her smile widening at this.

"At least one of us is happy about that," he shot back, a little sore at her calling him out on him possibly being wrong. That didn't wipe the smile off her face though. He rolled his eyes, turning away. Faced with only darkness, he was reminded of their atypical circumstance. He exhaled slowly, trying to quell the frustration and tension that was beginning to build in his body as it dawned on him that he had no idea where to go from here. He was now a fugitive in his own town, mere yards from his own house and mother, with a strange girl who he just met, who seemingly would never cease to keep bewildering him in one way or another. On the whole, the situation was exciting for someone of Legion's adventurous and thrill seeking nature. But in moments where he was stuck, and felt out of control, he couldn't help but feel only tense and aggravated. He turned back to face Mary, who seemed to be thinking similar thoughts to him, at least in regards to their less than optimal situation.

"What now?" she asked him. He shook his head.

"I don't know..." He dug his fingers deep into the soil at his sides, treading the cold dirt forcefully between his fingers to alleviate the tension.

"Damn," he said angrily, feeling his face getting red. His efforts were proving to be more futile by the second. "I'm gonna figure out something out," he said to her, his chest now rising and falling visibly through his shirt.

_See? Your parents obviously hid things from you too...and now we have no idea what in the hell to do. Damn everyone...idiots... _He sunk his head in between his knees, his hands woven into his hair, clenching tightly. It was a bad idea to have a thought that then sparked thoughts of underlying issues that caused so much rage. _Just breathe, breathe dammit, you're not alone... _He felt a light touch on his back, causing him to flinch sharply. He felt Mary's presence closer to him, but the touch was immediately gone. He turned his head just enough to make eye contact with her. She was on her knees, sitting on her feet, and her eyes were fixed on him, wide with concern and worry. Her hand was still hovering over his back, shaking a little. Once he had turned though, she retracted it quickly, her hands now clasped in her lap. She seemed a little nervous, but worried at the same time. He stayed locked in eye contact for about 15 seconds, feeling his chest's movements become less apparent in that time. He averted his gaze to her dress, feeling a little uneasy. He had lost his cool much worse in front of people before, but rarely had anyone tried to comfort him, and if they had, it was someone like his mother, who was the source of his rage and only fueled it more by their mere presence. Mary's lips parted as if she wanted to say something, but she closed them quickly. She was evidently trying her hardest to keep quiet.

"I'm sorry." Had they not been in the dead silence of the underground, Mary would not have heard him. "I didn't mean to...make you uncomfortable or anything." He cleared his throat, feeling very thirsty all of a sudden.

"We'll be okay," Mary said. Her voice was shaky, but Legion sensed a genuine glint of optimism in her words, and not just a hollow prediction. "I'm scared too...but...I know we'll think of something." Her voice was soothing to Legion, who did not bother to correct her statement. He wasn't scared. The closest he came to being scared was being worried for Mary's sake, although that wasn't an emotion that he had touched upon yet. He was a mix of embitterment at the opening of old wounds that he could not control, and claustrophobic frustration at feeling helpless at his lack of control of both his mind and his situation. Sometimes, his emotions and thoughts would layer in such a way that he would pass a point of no return; his thoughts would ferociously feed each others fury, reacting like a Hydra at any attempt to be squashed.

"Yeah, we will," he replied weakly. Now that the flames of his mental disarray had subsided, he did agree. They would find a way. All of a sudden, a yawn escaped from his mouth, taking him by surprise.

"I'm tired too," said Mary, rubbing her eyes. Legion's noticed that his eyes also ached a bit.

"Let's get some sleep," he suggested. "No one will find us here, and we'll need rest for anything we decide to do, I'm sure." Mary's eyes shot up to the hole above them.

"What if someone sees that?" she asked.

"No one comes into the graveyard. Sometimes a person or two will, but their concern is mourning, not finding fugitives. Also, I doubt the soldiers will search here again. They think that we've run off far away at this point. If at any point they decide to come back here, it won't be tonight." Mary looked back down.

"Okay," she said, comforted by Legion's certainty. The truth was, he wasn't absolutely certain about anything. He was pretty sure, but not 100%. But he knew they needed rest. At the very least, he wanted Mary to get a bit of rest, even if he had to sleep with one eye open.

"I hope I can comfortable," she murmured, patting the hard ground with her hand. She looked back up at Legion, who was leaning back onto the ground and extending his legs with his arms folded behind his head. He stared up through the hole. It was small, but he could still catch a glimpse of the night sky. In his peripheral vision, he noticed Mary's elbows sticking out. He turned to look at her, and saw that she was gently untying the red ribbon from her hair. Once she did, she tossed it on the ground next to her. Her hair was fuller than it looked in the ribbon, and seemed tremendous, cascading against her small back, practically framing her whole body. She ran her hands through it to unkink the knots, which was tough because it was so wavy and unruly. Once she did though, it hung nicely down her back and over her shoulders. She looked at Legion, and gave him a cheeky smile.

"Well, good night!" She curled into a ball on her side, her hands nestled in between her cheek and her hair, eyes closed and still facing Legion. Normally, he would've raised an eye at her cheerful good night, which he could tell was semi-forced, considering how emotional she had been before. But for some reason, from the moment her saw her hair expand and fall as the ribbon slid away from it, he felt his chest swell slightly with an unfamiliar sensation. It was like an adrenaline rush, except he didn't feel like running or doing flips or even moving at all. Those road blocks were back in his mind, preventing him from making any sense of the situation. He couldn't control where he looked; his eyes had moved independently from his mind. They danced back and forth, from each wave layered upon another, and every unruly piece that flipped outwards and curved upwards defiantly. When she turned, for a moment she was a stranger. Something about her face against the dark labyrinth of hair behind it reminded him of the older girls in his village... except he had never cared to give them a second look. She had just seemed less child like in a sense. Her eyes commanded more attention, and her lips seemed more apparent to him, in shape and color. Her sing song goodnight was somewhat sobering, reminding Legion that she was still that quirky 12 year old girl, yet it still did not completely absolve him of his shock. Now that she was sleeping, her face still seemed a little different. It was almost as if it would never go back to the way it was before, even if she put her hair up again. Legion looked back up at the sky, trying to shake his confusion. Was this what finding a girl "cute" was? He wasn't sure if he liked it. It was utterly maddening. And if this _was_ what it was, "cute" was the last word he would have used to describe it. It was was more like terrifying. After all, she had practically shape shifted, which was more the trait of some kind of demon than a young girl. Comparing her to a monster didn't make the odd feeling go away though. It wasn't until he closed his eyes that fatigue took over all else and road blocks and all other mental quandaries took a temporary leave. Despite his best efforts to maintain a semblance of consciousness, he entered a black and dreamless sleep.


End file.
